Eight SHU Teams Earn NCAA Public Recognition Awards

Jun 07, 2013

Fairfield, Conn. (June 7, 2013)--The NCAA announced their Public
Recognition Awards this week with eight Sacred Heart athletic
programs being recognized for their academic achievements.
The men’s indoor and outdoor track & field teams,
men’s volleyball, women’s basketball, women’s
cross country, women’s ice hockey, women’s golf and
women’s bowling were recognized for scoring in the top 10
percent in each sport with respect to their Academic Progress Rates
(APRs). Top-performing teams this year posted APR scores
ranging from 978 to a perfect 1,000.

The Sacred Heart men’s volleyball program has earned
Public Recognition Award in each of the eight years of the
NCAA’s academic reform program, making Sacred Heart one of 61
institutions across the country who have had at least one team win
all eight years.

The Northeast Conference had a record-high 44 teams earn NCAA
Public Recognition Awards this year. The 44 teams represent 21
sports from 11 member institutions.

“For the second year in a row, the NEC has achieved a
record number of teams earning the NCAA Public Recognition Award,
which clearly demonstrates the priority our student-athletes,
coaches and athletic administrators place on academic
success,” said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris.
“We are incredibly proud of the conference-wide commitment to
educating and developing student-athletes in the classroom, on the
fields and in the community.”

Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of
student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual
scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The rate measures
eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and
provides a clear picture of the academic performance in each sport.
The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the
2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-2012 academic years.

The NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly
recognizing their latest multi-year APR. The announcement is part
of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to
highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress
and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within
their respective sports.

The 976 teams publicly recognized this year for high achievement
include 594 women’s teams and 382 men’s or mixed
squads. A total of 268 schools, out of 346 Division I colleges and
universities, placed at least one team on the top APR list. Last
year, 954 teams were honored.